INNOVATION July-August 2021

P R O F E S S I O N A L P R A C T I C E

GUIDE TO DOCUMENTED INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF HIGH-RISK PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES OR WORK NOW AVAILABLE The Professional Governance Act requires Engineers and Geoscientists BC to establish standards of practice, conduct, and competence that all registrants must comply with. These standards are established in Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Bylaws. To support registrants in understanding these standards, Engineers and Geoscientists BC publishes Quality Management Guides. These guides explain the standards for quality management in professional activities and are based on the former Quality Management Guidelines. Engineers and Geoscientists BC recently published the Guide to the Standard for Independent Review of High-Risk Professional Activities (version 1.0). This guide, based on the new Bylaw requirement, was introduced to clarify requirements that were previously embedded in other Quality Management Guidelines. The guide outlines how registrants should uphold their professional obligations while involved in high-risk professional activities or work (HRPAW) and while conducting independent reviews of HRPAW. It also formalizes the existing requirement for registrants to use a risk-based approach to documented checks. Under this standard, a professional activity or work that has been identified by a Professional of Record as high-risk through a documented risk assessment must undergo a documented independent review(s) before the professional activity or work is submitted to those who will be relying on it. The guide also provides a common approach applicable to all registrants who engage in HRPAW or the independent review of HRPAW as part of their professional activities. All Quality Management Guides and Professional Practice Guidelines can be found on the Practice Resources section of our website, at egbc.ca/Guidelines . Questions about standards of practice can be directed to practiceadvisor@egbc.ca .

UPDATED AND NEW PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES NOW AVAILABLE; PRACTICE ADVISORY ISSUED ON RELYING ON THE WORK OF A SPECIALIST

Engineers and Geoscientists BC has issued an updated version of the Professional Practice Guidelines - Mechanical Engineering Services for Building Projects and published new Professional Practice Guidelines on Local Government Asset Management. Engineers and Geoscientists BC also issued a practice advisory on Relying on the Work of a Specialist. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES – MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR BUILDING PROJECTS. The Professional Practice Guidelines – Mechanical Engineering Services , originally published in 1993, have been updated to reflect current industry standards and practices and references to the Professional Governance Act . These guidelines were developed for engineering professionals, statutory decision-makers, regulators, the public, and other stakeholders who might be involved in, or have an interest in, mechanical engineering services for building projects in BC. These guidelines provide guidance on professional practice for engineering professionals who conduct the practice of mechanical engineering for buildings governed by parts of Division B of the BC Building Code and the City of Vancouver Building By-law. Engineers and Geoscientists BC is planning to host a webinar in the Fall that will inform professionals on the application of these guidelines when providing engineering services for building projects in BC. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES – LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT The Professional Practice Guidelines – Local Government Asset Management were developed by Engineers and

Geoscientists BC to guide professional practice related to engineering and geoscience professionals working in and contributing to the practice of Asset Management in Local Governments in British Columbia, including contributions to the preparation of Asset Management Policies, Asset Management Strategies, and Asset Management Plans, as well as other inputs to the Asset Management planning process. These guidelines were first published in 2021 to provide guidance and establish a standard for professional engineering and geoscience practice in the Local Government Asset Management field. The guidelines give an overview of the Asset Management process commonly used by Local Governments in BC and highlight professional practice considerations at each stage of the process. The guidelines also discuss professional responsibilities around considering and incorporating natural asset management. These guidelines were completed and made available on July 29, 2021. PRACTICE ADVISORY – RELYING ON THE WORK OF A SPECIALIST Engineers and Geoscientists BC issued a practice advisory to inform registrants of the conditions under which they may rely on a specialist to inform or contribute to engineering or geoscience work. Professional practice guidelines often refer to what is considered acceptable collaboration between professional registrants of Engineers and Geoscientists BC and non-registered specialists, as part of engineering or geoscience practice. Non-registered specialists are individuals with specialized technical skills who are not registered with a professional regulatory body in British Columbia.

Typically, a non-registered specialist is engaged when an engineering or geoscience professional does not have competency or direct experience in certain specialty subjects, and the skills of a specialist are required, either to provide direct input into the engineering or geoscience professional’s own work or to provide complementary technical services. All professional practice guidelines and other practice-related resources are provided at egbc.ca/Guidelines .

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